Teen '13 Book and Author Party

If you read YA, work with tweens or teenagers, or know teen readers, do not miss Teen '13!  A fabulous lineup of YA authors will be at the Richmond Public Library, ready to meet you and tell you about their terrific new books.  The event takes place on Thursday, October 17, from 6-8:30 pm, at the Richmond Public Library, 101 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA.  It's free and open to the public, so bring your friends, your children (of an appropriate age), and their friends, too.

From the Teen Read '13 publicity materials:

"The Richmond Public Library invites book fans of all ages to meet and mingle with fifteen Virginia authors of books for children and young adults. Enjoy a night of refreshments, book sales and signings, prize raffles and more.

Meet featured authors: Aimee Agresti, Gigi Amateau, Hannah Barnaby, Susann Cokal, Kathryn Erskine, Lana Krumwiede, Meg Medina, Elisa Nader, Erica Orloff, Valerie O. Patterson, Madelyn Rosenberg, Sarah Sullivan, Steve Watkins, A.B. Westrick, and Sylvia Whitman.

Book donations will be accepted for the Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center.

For information, email us at teen13valit@gmail.com, follow us on Twitter at #teen13valit, and "like" our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/events/193283700840625/"

Yaqui Delgado Wants to ...

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass!  The title grabs your attention, then the story wins your heart.  Meg Medina takes a different direction with her newest title, a contemporary story with none of the magical elements found in her other novels, such as the lyrical The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind (Candlewick, 2012).  Yaqui is a bully and Piddy is her victim, but one strength of this amazing book is the characterization.  We get to glimpse Yaqui's frustrations as well as Piddy's responses.  Refreshingly, the adult characters are as fully-realized as the YA protagonists.  Piddy is by no means perfect, but she does not deserve the treatment she receives.  Following her path as she avoids school, lies to teachers, lashes out at her mother, and seeks comfort with a boyfriend allows us to see parts of life many people keep hidden.  Medina writes with feeling and honesty.  She offers hope for targeted teens, as well as insight into their tormentors--Lucinda Whitehurst. 

Published by Candlewick Press, 2013.

James River Writers Conference

Have you ever thought about writing a children's book?  Or do you just love meeting writers and assorted "book people"?  The James River Writers Conference will be held in Richmond October 6-8, 2011, at the Library of Virginia.  You can hear terrific children's authors such as Newbery Honor winner Kathi Appelt, Gigi Amateau, Meg Medina, and illustrator/author Troy Howell.  Here's the place to go for registration information: http://www.jamesriverwriters.org/jrw_programs/conference/--Lucinda Whitehurst

Tia Isa Wants a Car

Meg Medina and Lucinda Whitehurst at bbgb Tales for Kids bookstore 

Summertime is the perfect time for Meg Medina's new picture book.  Tia Isa announces that she wants a car "to take us to the beach!"  Her niece thinks a car is a terrific idea and creatively finds several jobs on her own to help Tia Isa save up the money.  As the story continues, we see how the car and the beach mean more than a simple outing.  Several family members still live far away on an island.  As they wait for them to move to America and as they wait to save the money for the car, the girl observes, "Sometimes it's hard to wait for good things to happen."  The young girl and Isa receive a letter with news of Mami, Papi, and Abuelo.  They think of those loved ones in the "breezy house by the sea."  For the girl and her aunt, getting to the beach helps them connect with the home and people they miss.  Claudio Munoz's sun-splashed, energetic illustrations, rendered in pencil, watercolor, and ink, extend the story perfectly.  He shows the warm relationships between the characters, captures both homes, and makes that car look just as wonderful as the girl thinks it is! For an entertaining story, as well as gentle lessons about love and responsibility, look for Tia Isa Wants a Car--Lucinda Whitehurst.  (Picture book, gr. preK-3; Candlewick, 2011)

Meg Medina celebrates her birthday at the Tia Isa book launch party at bbgb Tales for Kids in Richmond, VA